Report: Pirates of the Caribbean Special Event, Panel 2

Report: Pirates of the Caribbean Special Event
Page 7 of 20

The skull rises and the red curtain opens to unveil a pirate ship. A skeleton is at the helm and the sail serves as a video screen.

The Skull and Crossblades continues, "Avast now, clap your traps! Our faithful Captain has a message for ye! And a finer, fairer Captain there never was! Give ear and listen well to the President of The Disneyland Resort, Captain Cynthia Harriss!"

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Harriss speaks on the video, "Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is a delight for The Disneyland Resort to host you at this special occasion commemorating the beloved attraction, The Pirates of the Caribbean. I am genuinely sorry that I'm unable to be there in person this evening, but I am grateful for this opportunity to tell you how much this attraction means to our Resort."

"This is one of the last attractions at Disneyland that Walt Disney himself directly touched with his creative genius. As we can tell, it truly embodies the heart of his Magic Kingdom. "

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Additional video is shown as Harriss talks

"The Pirates of the Caribbean is storytelling at its very best. Walt first introduced the concept of a pirate adventure to his staff in the late 1950s. But like so many of his ideas, the show was far ahead of its time, and it was not until the mid-‘60s that the Pirates of the Caribbean could move forward toward actual realization."

"Unfortunately, Walt never got to see his dream completed. But the rollicking music, the spirited lyrics, the wonderful characters and the fantastic scenes that came from his imagination continue to bring his dream to life everyday. Not only is it an exquisite technical showcase of Audio-Animatronics, it is a thrilling adventure which is still held fast in the hearts of our guests."

The image returns to Harriss as she continues, "This evening, it is our privilege to present to you some of the original artists who helped Walt realize his dream as well as some of the designers who continue to carry the torch of creativity. And it is my pleasure to officially welcome you to celebrate the 'rowdiest crew of black-hearted swashbucklers who ever plundered the Spanish Main.'" The camera begins to pan out, "And again, I apologize for being unavoidably detained from attending the celebration myself. However…"  Cynthia walks to the right as the camera pans back, revealing that she is inside the jail with the other pirates. She continues "…as you can see, that dear dog still hasn’t delivered the key!" 

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The audience cheers but suddenly the clap of lightning and the roar of thunder quiet them. The skeleton at the helm vanishes in a cloud of smoke and the stage becomes full of all manner of blackguards and villainous knaves. A portly fellow is swabbing the deck. Another swings in on a rope.

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Pirates on - and above - the stage

The First Mate enters carrying a book and declares, "I love a good kidnapping!" A tall pirate rubbing his hands together with glee declares, "Aye! Time to filch and sack!" Another pirate adds, "Maraud and embezzle" The portly pirate drops his mop and asks, "and even highjack??" The first mate responds, "what?"

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The pirate repeats his question, "and even highjack??" as he picks the first mate up off the floor. The First Mate responds this time, "Aye!! argh!. Avast, ye scurvy knaves! The new capt'n is on deck!"

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